Circus Melody
by Spirit of the Dead
Summary: The circus provides all sorts of distractions from daily life. It's meant to mesmerize, illuminate, and dare the imagination to take flight. For some, it even offers a sense of belonging and a long awaited sense of peace. Ryou/Hotaru, more pairings inside.
1. Lights On, Que Music: Desert Nights

**Spirit**-... I'm actually quite scared right now. I know, I know. I'm sorry, once again, for my long absence. And I know I really shouldn't be starting a new fic, but I can't help it. Plot bunnies, you know how rapidly they breed. I was mostly inspired by the songs used and the Cirque Du Soleil Worlds Away movie. As for the cause of my absence this time, please go to my profile(keep checking as for some reason fanfiction wont let me change much). It also has my plans for some of my older stories. THIS one is just a short two shot thing. It's already completed... Kind of. Read my note at the bottom to see what I mean. Anyways, enjoy my friends!

**Pairing**: Ryou/Hotaru

Sailor moon world is AU, that means no Sailor Senshi. YuGiOhs world is slightly AU, obviously Atem didn't get his own body and as far as we know Ryou doesn't go through the problems I have him go through in here.

Songs Hotaru Plays(in order)- Lindsey Sterling's Electric Daisy, and Crystalize.

**Disclaimer**- I do not own the affiliated animes/mangas, nor do I own the songs listed above. They were just used for visualization.

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**Lights On, Queue Music; Desert Nights**

It was almost painful. He felt lost in his own body, and there was no hope for an escape. It had been seven months since the spirit within Yugi's Millennium Puzzle had regained his name and memories. Seven months of uncomfortable changes in not only appearance, but personality. Ryou Bakura looked up at his bathroom mirror. He was no longer the pale skinned boy with the innocent brown eyes. When Yami had solved the mystery of what had occurred in the past everything changed. Yami, or now Atem, had received a body of his own in hopes of living out a normal life. He no longer held power over the shadow realm and all of the items were reduced to just pieces of powerless gold. Zorc was destroyed and everyone was free. Everyone except him that is.

When the pharaoh had awakened, Ryou had gone through a similar ordeal as well. Unlike Yugi and Atem, the spirit within his Millennium Ring had not been the Thief King Bakura of the past but the evil entity of Zorc. He, Ryou Bakura, was the reincarnation of the once famed tomb robber and it was starting to take him over. It seemed like every time he stepped outside for more then a few minutes his skin got a little tanner, when before all he could do was get blistering sunburns. The skin under his right eye had started aching a few months back and began getting redder. Though he was clumsy at times he never remembered ramming his face into anything. Not long after that he realized a scar was forming, the same scar his past life had.

His looks were one thing, but his personality was nearly doing a 180 as well. The boy wasn't naive, he knew that he let people push him around and walk all over him. He was an easy target for bullies, and it didn't help that he was so different looking from everyone else. However recently he had been sticking up for himself at lot more. Now while that didn't sound bad, it also meant he was loosing his temper equally as often and just the other day had slammed a kid into a trash can for trying to pick on Anzu. He never agreed with resorting to violence to solve problems, and certainly never wanted to be the one who did so.

Then there were the dreams. Almost every night for the past month he had woken up in tears and a cold sweat. The pain in his heart causing him to crumble helplessly on his bed. The memories of his past haunted him in his sleep. The things that had happened to his village, the things he had done in retaliation. There was no peace to be found, no comfort offered in that time. Just endless bloodshed and anger. It was tearing him to pieces. He was beginning to go insane trying to hold it all back and remain who he was in this life. At times he even wished his own Yami was there just so he wouldn't have to feel so alone in this. Atem, Yugi, and the others could never understand.

He was fading.

And then it seemed finally, after all his silent begging, someone was listening and willing to answer his prayers. His friends had invited him to the circus in hopes of making him feel better. The group had been trying to drag him out since summer vacation started. They had noticed he was becoming more reclusive and shyer around them. In truth, he just wanted to hide who he was becoming. So when he agreed to go with them it was in hopes that they would be distracted enough by the dazzling performances that they wouldn't even notice him too much. When they got there they were met with small displays of the typical circus freak shows. The bearded lady, the sword-swallowing man, a fire breather, and so on. A few games were set up for children with cheap prizes. Guys on stilts meandered around, entertaining the crowd as clowns popped out of barrels and offered flyers about the performers.

Soon they were allowed into the large tent for the main show. When everyone was seated the lights dimmed and a spot light was put on the ringmaster. He was a barrel chested man with an impressive mustache, wearing the traditional red suit most ringmasters wore on tv shows. He bowed and welcomed them all. After setting rules he introduced the first act. A girl in blue came rolling out on top of a huge ball. Her hair was odd, it was mostly kept in a bun on top and a weird circle was placed around her head with stems hanging down and spheres on the tips of them. She looked to be about their age. She performed many tricks on top of the large ball and never once faltered. After her act came a girl in red with another bizarre hairstyle that was the lion tamer. The audience watched in a combination of awe and horror as she stuck her head in between the beasts jaws and did other dangerous stunts. Next to come was a green tightrope walker. Ryou was beginning to believe all the performers here must have the weird hairstyles for show. She did flips and cartwheels across the thin rope and her most daring move was when they got rid of the safety net and she went across it while doing a handstand on a unicycle, blindfolded.

After the crowd was over their mini-heart attacks the clowns came out and caused a huge ruckus. Ryou couldn't help but chuckle as they threw pies at each other, flirted with audience members, and attempted to make a pyramid with themselves but failed miserably. That's when he first saw her. A girl stood off in the corner waiting for her queue. Unlike the other girls, her hair wasn't too wild. It was black and cropped short. At the moment she had twisted it into tight curly-ques with lavender ribbons tied in it. Her outfit wasn't as revealing as the others either. She wore a white corset with puffy off the shoulder sleeves attached to it. Her skirt was made of black tool and had pearl like beads stuck onto it in random spots. On the right side of the skirt was a huge purple rose attached to a lavender tool bow with strips of ribbons, beads, and feathers trailing down, reaching her knees. She wore black tights and white ballet flats. On her back was an intricate pair of wings with a matching rose in the middle of it. The area around her eyes was painted purple, almost as if she were wearing a mask, and more pearls were stuck to her skin, serving as the outline. In her hands she held a violin and bow.

When the clowns started to get really rambunctious she jumped out and positioned her instrument. Music filled the tent from the speakers and soon she joined it. Her song was a little peppy and playful. It halted the clowns and people in exotic animal costumes that he had failed to notice when he was distracted by her. She now began to walk towards the bunch, still playing and with a skip in her step. Soon it was almost as if she was dancing to her own music. She twirled around as the background instruments added to hers to create a fun harmonious mix. Vocalization was heard but no words were sung. Soon the clowns and animals began to follow her, doing their own little jigs as they went. The crowd laughed and clapped along. It reminded him of the child's story about the piper. At one point the pre-recorded music took over and she paused in her playing as the two men dressed as a dragon broke apart so one of them could stand on the others shoulders. The man on top then hefted her up to stand on top of his. She then resumed playing as the three took the lead of the group and went once around the large ring. The audience applauded them. When she finished her song all of the clowns and other animals had left the area. The guy whose shoulders she stood on, tossed her up and caught her bridal style, they then jumped down off the first guy and all three bowed to more applause.

Ryou smiled brightly as he clapped along with his friends. It was the first time in a long while where he felt like his old self. The girls playing had quelled the beast he was becoming. A wave of serenity washed over him as they sat back down and the next act began. His mind wandered as a group of men came out to show off their strength and hold a contest between each other. While the violinist had been a little dolled up, he found himself turning slightly red at the thought of her bright smile as she played, and the playful way her violet eyes danced when she glanced at the audience. She was small in stature, and pale like he had once been. While it was obvious her dancing skills were limited she had to have had some lessons, but mostly moved to the music however she wanted. And she played beautifully. Not once had she faltered or seemed unsure.

A few more acts played and the white haired youth only paid enough attention to the very pretty pink haired trapeze artist as she swung high above them with amazing grace and ease. Finally the ring master came back out to reveal that the last act of the show was about to commence.

"It is with great pride that I announce the performers of our closing performance. They had their individual times to shine before you all, but now they will combine to put on, what I guarantee is, the most spectacular show you have ever seen. Please, for the sake and safety of the performers, I ask that you take no pictures and hold back your applause during the performance until they take their final bows. Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, please welcome back to the stage the adorable, Ball Dancer Pallas!" the audience clapped as another spotlight lit upon the blue girl standing perfectly still on a now clear, bubble looking ball, hands in the air.

"The daring, Beast Master Vesta!" the red girl appeared riding a white tiger, one hand raised while the other petted the animal beneath her.

"The fearless, High-wire Expert Juno!" another spot turned onto the green girl balancing in the middle of the tightrope. Both of her arms raised as well.

"And the beautiful, Trapeze Temptress Ceres!" the pink girl smiled softly as she was lit up standing on a platform holding her swing. When the applause died down the ring master continued, "together they shall amaze and astound you as they perform to our talented, Musical Nymph Hotaru!"

At that he bowed out and the violin player from before had been standing behind him, her instrument already positioned. Her eyes were closed and a peaceful look graced her features. The lights dimmed to blue, green, and purple shades. Giving the area a water like effect. The other girls all got into position and soon the music began to play. The first notes Hotaru played were quivering. They steadied and picked up a bit. The girls began their act which was completely mesmerizing. Thin, sheer, pink curtains had dropped down for them and they flew in circles above the audiences as they twirled and slide down them. The background music became very electric and slightly techno sounding.

As majestic as the four colorful girls were, Ryou found he couldn't look away from the violinist. The song she played was soft and calming. Normally he would become instantly upset upon remembering his past, but this time he embraced it. He remembered the cool desert nights, laying awake under all those stars. He had almost forgotten the endlessness of those little twinkling lights in the sky. He could almost feel the air hit him as he raced upon his stallion to his next destination. No boundaries, no rules, or cares for anything as he rode on, wishing he never had to stop. Wishing the sun never rose to stain the sands red, the sore reminder every day of the slaughter of his people.

The boy was shocked out of his memories when the tiger from before walked up from behind the girl and circled her. To everyone's relief it soon rested at the girls feet and seemed to curl up and go to sleep. The four girls in the air had made it to platforms and each grabbed an elastic swing. They all jumped and extended one leg to just barely touch down several inches away from Hotaru and the tiger. The recoil sent them back into the air to flip around until they hung on the swings by their legs. After a few more tricks they slide down the curtains and allowed the blue one to get on her bubble ball where she danced atop it effortlessly around the group as the remaining three looped their curtains into swings and swung back and forth in mid air. To finish her dance Pallas leapt off the ball which was stopped by a shadowed performer, to be caught gracefully by Ceres, who had leaned over until she was parallel to the ground. She swung the smaller girl up to catch her own curtain. They all twisted the fabric around their bodies until they were nearly at the ceiling of the tent. Their arms had been left out to hang on, but their midsections were bundled up like cocoons.

A pause happened in the violet eyed girls playing and the background music for a few seconds, before it erupted again. When it did, the four other girls had let go and fell as they spun out of the fabric. Some of the audience gasped as they came dangerously close to the ground. The lights had exploded into thousands of rainbow colored butterflies that flew around the tent. The girls halted their fall and used their momentum to swing over the audiences heads. Hotaru was now pirouetting in place with a large smile on her face. The tiger had gotten up to go stand where it had originally been. The whole room had come alive it seemed and people had to be reminded not to clap just yet.

The song slowed and each of the flying girls landed back where they had originated from when introduced. When the song ended and the girls took their bow the whole tent burst into enthusiastic applause. Whistles were sounded and roses were tossed for the beautiful performers. All looked up and bowed again. They were then joined by the rest of the nights acts who also took their bow. The ring master thanked everyone for coming out and soon all left the ring and the crowds began to exit.

"I've never seen anything so magical in my entire life!" Anzu cried as their group stood outside the tent. They planned to wait for most of the people to leave before they dare tried too. Some of the members of their group looked at the girl oddly. She giggled, "ok, maybe not The Most, but it was certainly the most beautiful."

"I'd agree with that. Being sent to the shadow realm, while magical, is not the most fun." Jou pointed out. The others nodded.

Ryou still couldn't get over how happy he felt. Never, not even before he had been possessed did he feel so much at peace in this lifetime. "I really liked the violinists music. I wonder if they sell a cd of it somewhere."

"I think I remember a merchandise booth towards the front of the tent." Yugi said and the group went to go look. When they reached it, they found Juno and Vesta running it. Few people had returned to buy anything so the group was able to look around without being shoved to and fro.

However there were no CDs. "hey do you guys have a way of getting the music that was played during the show?" Honda asked the two.

Juno gave them an apologetic grin, "not here. You can buy a copy at some stores. The music was originally composed and played by a woman named Michiru Kaioh so we don't sell our own copies."

Ryou looked down, a little disappointed. "that's too bad. Your violinist played it so wonderfully."

"You really liked it huh?" Vesta asked, though before she could receive an answer she called out to the open flap in the tent behind them, "Hey Hotaru! You have a fan out here!"

The boy was thankful for his tan now. It hid most of the blush that had risen to his cheeks as the girl stepped out of the tent. She had taken the makeup off and wore a light black jacket with the circus's logo to protect her arms from the summer night's chill. She smiled warmly at him and his friends. "nice to meet you all. I'm glad you liked my playing."

She bowed gratefully at them which caused him to get more flustered. He had not expected such politeness. "Y-yes, we enjoyed it a lot," he managed to get out.

He almost wished he hadn't said anything for now she turned her smile to him and he felt his ears heat up. "Thank you. I'm sorry we don't sell it here, but it is my adopted mothers work. She allows us to use it so we don't have to pay rights to anyone else, but her label won't allow us to sell it without paying either." she explained.

"That's too bad." Shizuka remarked.

"Yeah, but what can you do?" Juno shrugged.

Vesta propped her elbows on the table and rested her head in her palms. "Are you guys locals?"

"Yeah, a few of us live not to far from here." Ootogi responded.

"Cool. This is our last stop before school starts again. The circus will travel without us once it does." both she and Juno stuck out their tongues in annoyance. Hotaru just rolled her eyes.

"Ignore them, they just like complaining."

Jou and Honda snickered. Anzu told the violet eyed girl in a not hush enough tone that they weren't the only ones who liked to complain. The brunettes eyes were on the two that just snickered.

"Well thank you. We'd better get going before it gets to be too late." Atem said after a few moments of the boys glaring at the girl. Ryou felt a very old need to strangle the pharaoh surface, but he pushed the thought aside and allowed himself to be led away after saying goodbye to the girls. He had wanted to talk with the, some more. Why, when he actually wanted it to be there, did his newfound courage fail?

The group took the bus back to their homes. Ryou silently went through the night rituals of getting ready for bed and soon curled up and went to sleep. That night he had no nightmares from ancient times. In fact he couldn't remember what he dreamed, but he vaguely remembered falling asleep humming the last song played at the circus.

**88888**

The next night found the once infamous thief lurking in the shadows. It wasn't a skill Ryou was particularly proud of, but he had remembered how to do it well. Which was now coming in handy. While every ounce of who he was supposed to be screamed that this was wrong, who he was starting to become again shouted back at that part to shut the hell up. The feeling of wanting to hear that music again had meant to be a passing one throughout his day, but the feeling had grown. It was a bit ridiculous that an instrument had such a calming effect on him, but it did, and now here he was, just outside of the entrance to the circus.

It would be there all this week before disbanding at summers end. Like they had said, the main performers had to return to school. With ease he avoided the venders and security at the front and became one with that nights leaving crowd. He knew he wouldn't be able to sneak into the show, the seats were numbered and all the rest of the nights were sold out. He knew because he had looked online before rashly deciding sneaking in was a better idea. Without anyone the wiser he made his way to the back where the trailers for the performers were kept.

He felt his nerves start to take hold and quickly calmed them. He had come too far now to give up. Leaping onto one of the trailers as silently as a cat he settled himself to wait for the owners of the mobile homes to come out. After about a half hour more they filed out of the main tent, chatting and stretching as they went. It wasn't hard to spot the group of girls due to their wild hair, and Hotaru was with them. She apparently shared the trailer next to the one he was on with Ceres and Vesta. Pallas and Juno took up residence in the one beneath him.

"Another great performance. I can't believe summers almost over." he heard Vesta comment. The windows were left open so the insides wouldn't get muggy during the day.

"Moh, it's gonna be a pain to go back to school, but at least we get to go with Hotaru this time." Ceres said.

"It's pretty strict at Mugen though. You won't get away with half the stuff you guys pull there." he heard his target explain.

Target? Since when was that decided? Mentally scolding his thief persona he laid on his back and listened some more.

"Ne, Taru!" he heard Pallas cry, they probably had facing windows from their trailer. "Pallas and Juno want to hear another song!"

"Hey don't bug her with that! She just got done performing an hour ago." Vesta snapped.

"It's alright. I need to practice that last song a bit anyways. I'm still not comfortable dancing along to it yet since I don't have it completely memorized." in minutes the song that reminded him of desert nights filled the air. He rested his hands behind his head and gazed up at the sky sleepily. Unfortunately due to the light pollution from the city only the brightest of stars and maybe one of the planets were visible. It sounded a little different without the techno like background, but he didn't mind. In fact this was almost better.

He felt himself drift off into a light sleep and dreamed of racing through the moonlit sands of Egypt on his horse. The sound of the hooves were muffled as they kicked up the glittering bits of crushed rock. His once shorter hair wildly whipping about as his red coat billowed out behind him. He loved those moments. The moments he could forget everything. All there was, was that endless stretch of dark blue sky with its stars and the ocean of glistening sand as far as the eye can see.

Lazily he opened his eyes when the song ended and the girls called goodnight. When sure they had gone to bed he jumped off from his hiding place and disappeared into the darkness once again.

He did the same thing the next three nights. All three times she had played her song and he felt at one with his past. The days were more bearable, and he didn't mind going out with his friends so much. Jou and Honda wanted to do everything they could before their summer vacation was over. Which meant Ryou was being roped into going for Yugis sanity. On the fifth day he knew the circus wasn't going to be open. All the performers were allowed free time to explore Domino.

Oddly enough Marik, Mai, and even Seto joined their group that day and Yugi had actually been the one to set the plans. They were going to go to an arcade and have lunch at the diner next to it. It was a bit out of character for the shorter boy and for some reason Atem was smiling secretly to himself, which only Ryou noticed. When they went inside of the arcade the smaller boy seemed to be looking for someone.

"Yugi! Pallas is over here!" came an excited and very familiar cry. The group turned towards where the racing games were kept to see the girls from the circus plus one more there. Juno and Vesta were heatedly racing each other. Both ended up being startled by the blue haired girls outburst and crashed into each other, ending the game.

"Pallas!" they both shouted. The girl clamped a hand over her mouth and sheepishly mumbled an apology before sticking out her tongue playfully.

Yugi just smiled and headed towards them, his friends flanking close behind. "Hi girls, I'm glad you could make it."

"Wait a sec! When did you get so buddy-buddy with them?" Jou asked, pointing towards the girls.

The newcomer, another pink haired girl, only she had her hair in two rabbit ear shaped buns with the tails reaching her knees threw a disapproving look at the blond boy, "it's rude to point you know."

"Chibiusa." Hotaru said, placing a hand on her friends shoulder in an attempt to calm her.

"It's my fault. I didn't tell them. We met Chibiusa here who is friends with Pallas and the others. She said she and her friends wanted to go out when they had the day off and we offered to show them around a bit in the morning. I hope that's okay." Yugi explained.

He started blushing when Pallas turned her 100 watt smile onto him and the right side of Ryous lip twitched, itching to grow into a knowing devilish smirk. However that would be a very un-Ryou like thing to do, so he held it back. When he saw Jou about to argue with the plan though, he "accidentally" nudged the boy to gain his attention and threw the most ruthless glare he had at him. While it wasn't as terrifying as his glares in his past life, it did the trick here as Jou gulped and shut his mouth. Again, un-Ryou like, but he let that one slip due to seeing Hotaru there.

The girl looked up and recognized him, she smiled sweetly and he gave a nervous one back. The group got their quarters and began to play the games. Juno, Vesta, and Chibiusa were just as competitive as Jou and Atem. It irritated the girls to no end that they could not defeat the King of Games once. Only when the three secretly teamed up in the racing game was there a new winner. Juno and Vesta had purposely crashed their cars into Atems to allow Chibiusa the win. Needless to say, the usually regal youth was not happy.

They continue playing for a few hours before heading to the diner for a late lunch. A lot was learned about the circus performers then. Mainly the four more colorful ones were sisters. They all resided in Tokyo, just in different districts. They were attending Mugen academy together, which meant they all were pretty sharp. And they joined the circus every summer for the past three years. This was Hotarus first time performing and Chibiusa wasn't apart of the motley crew, though she was allowed entrance anytime she wished.

Ryou, who was shoved into the window seat with the violet eyed girl across from him, decided to make polite conversation with her as the others went on about high scores on video games, "So Hotaru, have you ever been to Domino district before?"

She shook her head, making her hair swish. "No, this is my first time being here. The girls were here last summer with the circus, but not for this long."

"Is it fun being in the circus?"

"It is! You get to meet so many interesting people. I was scared at my first performance and nearly fumbled my songs, but it's such an amazing thrill that I just couldn't stop. Have you ever been in anything?"

The first thing that came to mind was the thrill of robbing tombs right under the pharaohs nose, but he wasn't going to say that. In fact he shouldn't have even thought of it! "I've been in a few card game tournaments. I think I can relate to the feeling of almost messing up. Though I never had to worry about a tiger at my feet."

Though he did have to worry about his soul being destroyed on several occasions, his mind reminded him. He would've grimaced, but Hotarus giggle caught his attention. It was very soft and her face crinkled up cutely. A smile stretched his lips as the waitress arrived with everyone's drinks and orders. Jou immediately pigged out, causing Anzu, Mai, and Vesta to reprimanded him. Yugi and Pallas were sharing a plate of chili-cheese fries and talking about Duel Monsters. Atem and Chibiusa kept stealing looks at one another that were very obvious to anyone who saw. Honda, Otogi, and Marik were listening to Juno talk about her more scarier stunts in the circus and Seto seemed to be getting flustered and irritated at something Ceres was saying.

"Your friends are funny." Hotaru commented. She had been observing the group too.

He grinned at her, "the same could be said about yours." He pointed at Vesta who was now being held back by Chibiusa because Jou managed to get ketchup on her jeans.

The violet eyed girl partially covered her face with her hand out of embarrassment at the scene. Only when the crew received scolding stares from the employees did they settle down.

Attempting to distract her from the shameful display, Ryou quickly asked, "do you play other instruments?"

The girl sipped her soda then replied, "piano a little. I'm not very good since my fingers are so short."

"Really? You need long fingers to play?" he asked and looked at his own hands. They had gotten bigger since his awakening, heck he's even gotten a few inches taller.

"You don't need too, but it certainly helps. Here, let's compare hand sizes." she then raised her hand up palm facing him. Without hesitation he placed his hand on hers, making sure the bottoms were even. She did have small hands. He could easily fold the tips of his fingers over hers. Suddenly she blushed and pulled away. "you'd make a decent piano player." she said with a shy smile.

At that he felt his own cheeks heat up a little. He turned away and tired to listen to what the rest of their friends were saying now when he noticed out of the corner of his eye Hotaru was staring at him oddly. Looking back he asked, "is something wrong?"

"Huh? Oh nothing. Sorry, I must've spaced out." she apologized.

"Hey girls, we better go meet up with Haruka and the others. They did say if we were gonna be late they wouldn't buy us dinner later." Juno said. The girls sighed, they were having fun with their new friends. Everyone got up and headed outside.

"It was really fun hanging with you guys. We should do it again sometime." Ceres commented with a wink.

"Heck yeah! You girls ain't half bad!" Jou exclaimed, earning him a few eye rolls from both parties. The girls bid farewell and made their way down the street.

Yugi and the others hung out some more, but Ryou left early. It wasn't that he wasn't having fun, it was that his body was hurting again. When he got home he collapsed onto the floor and clung to himself as he felt the pain wash over him. Tears fought their way through his burning eyes. No, he refused for them to change. He didn't want those cold, soulless, lavender eyes from his past life. His brown eyes already weren't as doe like as before. They were constantly tired looking and sometimes harsh like Atems.

It was odd, but he felt that if he lost that one last feature he would no longer be Ryou, but Bakura. It wasn't fair. Why couldn't he just be himself? Bakura had had his time, and he messed it up by falling prey to a demon. He didn't want to make an equally fatal mistake in this life. Would he really disappear? Would he forget how to ever be the quiet, caring boy he once was? He didn't know, and that's what scared him.

He didn't know how long he had laid there, curled up on his apartment floor. When he opened his eyes again night had fallen. Too physically exhausted to go anywhere he just went into his room kicked off his shoes and jeans and crawled into bed. Though nightmares didn't plague him, he tossed and turned all night.

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**Spirit**- that's it for this chapter. Now, for how this like Fic-let thing could go. I originally only had the intention of just making it about these two. However, I started brainstorming about relationships for the Amazon Quartet and Chibiusa. I've written some of it out, but I wasn't sure how well it would be received. So if you guys want me to continue and add in their romances after Hotarus and Ryous are done let me know.

The pairings would be:

Yugi/Pallas

Ootogi/Vesta

Atem/Chibiusa

Marik/Juno

Seto/Ceres

Interested? Like what I have so far? Then Please Review! It's my only form of currency for these stories.

Chow!


	2. Lights Out, End Song: Metamorphous

**Spirit**- Here is the next bit for Ryou/Hotaru. Since so many positive reviews came in I'll be doing the Amazon Quartets and Chibiusa's two shot things as well. They'll be added on to Circus Melody, so if you haven't already and you want to read those, please follow this story. At the very end I'll do a sort of epilogue or wrap up chapter with all of them, since for some of the pairings I'll be leaving them off, sort of, unfinished. Each girl will get two chapters of their pairing then the final one.

**Pairings and Order of Chapters:**

Ryou/Hotaru

Yugi/Pallas

Ryuji/Vesta

Atem/Chibiusa

Marik/Juno

Seto/Ceres

So next chapter will be Yugi/Pallas... Which I'm pretty sure writing them gave me diabetes because they are so freaking sweet! Anyways, enjoy this chappy!

**Songs Hotaru plays (in order):** Lindsey Sterling's "Spontaneous Me" and "What Child is This."

* * *

**Lights Out, End Song; Metamorphous**

The next day Ryou had stayed home. While he didn't stay in bed, he really didn't move much beyond the proximity's of his coach and kitchen. When his friends called to hang out he ignored it. Ryou wasn't in the mood for being sociable. For one, when he got up to go to the bathroom he discovered he had gotten a few shades darker again and there were sheen's of light purple in his eyes. He now felt completely powerless to stop the changes. However, instead of just excepting them, he was finally broken because of them.

His stare was empty as he sat huddled under his blanket and flipped through the channels on tv. All the blinds were closed and he barely touched the food he had prepared for himself. No thoughts passed through his brain as he just sat there, finally tiring of changing the channel. He felt no different from a mummy. Just a dried up empty husk. All the good parts violently taken out, only he had been alive enough to feel everything as it was extracted. Now here he was, left vacant as his soul stopped fighting altogether.

The news came on as sunset started to fall. The reporter was at the circus doing a piece to promote family friendly fun in these last days of summer. She interviewed the ring master and some of the "freaks" who resided outside the main attraction. It was when they entered the tent to get a shot of the place before it filled up that he saw her. There was Hotaru, helping a few others check the seats for any left over garbage or problems. She avoided the cameras gaze and acted more like a janitor then one of the key performers. Soon the interview ended saying how this show and tomorrows one were the last showings and then the weather came on.

Without actually putting any thought into his actions. Ryou got up and went to his room to grab some clean clothes before stepping into the shower. After drying off, he threw on a dark red t-shirt and jeans before he grabbed his house keys and left. Instead of taking the bus, he walked. He knew he was heading towards the circus again and the acts would soon be starting. They weren't what he wanted to see though. Taking his time he eventually got there about half way through the show. Out of habit now, he easily made it over to the trailers without being seen. He could hear the audience and performances from his usual resting place atop Juno and Pallas's home. Resting his hands under his head as he laid on his back, he soon heard the clowns come out to cause their mischief.

A small smile finally graced his features when he heard her begin to play, halting all antics. It was the peppy song again. He tapped his foot to the beat as he closed his eyes. This was the only solace he could find in his now turbulent existence. When the act was finished he remained there to wait for the finally. So lost in his daydreams he didn't hear someone climb up the maintenance ladder on his left side.

"Ah-ha! I knew it was you!" came a voice, startling him and he quickly sat up. Looking over he saw it was Hotaru. She was still painted up and her hair was once again in ringlets. From their meeting yesterday at the arade he found her hair was actually naturally straight. However, now was not the time for such trivial thoughts. She had caught him. "I thought I saw someone on this roof the night before last when I was going to bed. Strangely enough they had white wild hair. What are you doing up here?"

She finished climbing up and sat with her legs folded under her next to him. Ryou still held a look of shock on his face. Mainly his heart was still racing due to the surprise, but it was also relieved she wasn't angry. Still, he now had to reveal he was sneaking about to hear her play. That was going to be embarrassing. "I, uh, that is," he stammered.

She giggled and he relaxed some, "you must be pretty stealthy to get past everyone like this. Are you here to see someone? I won't get you into trouble."

"Well, it's not really a someone... More like a what. I... I came here to hear your songs." shockingly he wasn't as flustered as he normally would've been. Sure he was blushing, but his eyes betrayed the fact that he was still a little angry at himself for being caught so easily by the one person he didn't want knowing he was there.

However, all her makeup could not hide her obvious blush. When he looked back at her he grinned and held back a chuckle. She looked cute that way. A flustered fairy sitting in front of him. She seemed to be contemplating something as her eyes darted around for a bit, and he wondered if she was about to, in some way, reject him. Before he could apologize though she asked, "would you like to hang out for a bit after the show?"

This had caught him in yet another surprise. He stared wide eyed at her for a bit trying to make sure he heard right. When he was sure he did, he was about to answer when she cut him off again, "it's just, the others are going out with some friends and I don't really feel much like walking around all of the city."

"You wouldn't have much fun if you did. It's supposed to rain," he replied, remembering the last bit of weather he caught before getting ready to come here.

The girl looked like she was thinking about something, "perhaps I should warn them then... Nah, it'll be more fun to let them make that mistake."

He watched her giggle at her own deviousness and couldn't help it this time, as he chuckled. It would seem the girl was full of surprises. "I wouldn't mind hanging out. Where did you want to go?"

It was now her turn to look stunned and the blush returned, "oh, well, we could hang out here or go get some dinner."

"Why not both?" he questioned, and received a huge smile in return.

"Sounds good! Well, I better get back before I'm on again. Meet me at the grounds entrance okay? And try not to get into trouble on your way out." she gave him a sly grin now as she climbed down and rushed off back to the tent.

He remained sitting there for a moment before lying back down to hide from anyone else's view. Had he just agreed to a date? Or was it really just a hang out between friends? He didn't know, but there was one thing he did know. He felt normal any time he was around that girl, whether she played or not. Teetering on the edge of true insanity, her music had pulled him back. Now he felt himself willingly walking away from that ledge towards her offered hand.

The ring master announced the final act and Ryou waited patiently. Soon the first few quivering notes of the last song echoed into the night and it began. This time he just listened to the melody. He didn't want to think about the past or present, just those notes that floated around him.

It was over much sooner than anyone wanted and as he knew the performers were giving their last bow he jumped down and made his way out. It took some time but after everyone had left and he watched the four sisters leave with some of the other performers, Hotaru soon came out at last. She had changed into a plain purple t-shirt with a black skirt and tights. A yellow raincoat was wrapped around her waist and she wore boots. She had brushed the curls out, though some strands were still wavy. All the makeup had been removed as well.

Somehow she spotted him leaning against the tree in the shadows and trotted over. "Sorry for taking so long. Those costumes are a pain." she said.

"I don't mind. Where would you like to go to eat?" he asked, standing up straight. He had grown again. He was now at least 8 inches taller than her. That wasn't so bad as she was pretty short, but he bet he was now either equal to or even taller than Atem or Jou.

"There's a locally owned restaurant a block that way. I've been meaning to try it since we first set up here." she explained as she pointed down the street.

He nodded and they headed down that way. On their way, he decided to strike up a conversation. "What made you join the circus?"

"Mostly the sisters. We had become friends not too long ago and they asked Chibiusa and I to join. Chibiusas parents said no since they were going to be traveling across country for awhile, but my guardians thought it would be fine since it was durning summer."

"Are you adopted?" he instantly wanted to kick himself. That was a very rude and personal question. One he would've never asked before.

However, Hotaru didn't seem to mind. "Yes, I have three guardians. Michiru-mama was the one who wrote the music I play. Haruka-papa taught me the piano a little and is a race car driver. And Setsuna-mama designs clothes at her boutique. What about you?"

"I live alone. My father is off traveling but he never really comes to visit." he wanted to leave out his mother and sisters death for now. Obviously her real parents were not in the picture either and it was best to leave such heavy topics for later.

"At least you have your friends. I don't know what I'd do without the girls to be there for me." she said. He smiled. He could definitely relate. While they didn't understand his latest predicament, they had always done everything they could in the past to save him.

They got to the restaurant and sat in a booth. After ordering their drinks and food they talked more about each other. Ryou told her about the tournaments he took place in, omitting anything to do with the Millennium Items and the dangerous parts, and she told him about the rest of her friends and how the circus was. She admitted to being bullied awhile back before she had met her friends due to her shyness and weak health. He confessed that he had also been the victim of bullies before.

She looked a little surprised at that, "Really? You don't seem like the type typical bullies go for. Did they pick on you just to prove they were stronger?"

"Uh, well, no. I've changed a lot recently. I never used to be so tall or scary looking." he explained rubbing the back of his head.

"You're not scary. Who said that?" she questioned, her expression sincere.

"Well, no one really... I just found I was little afraid of myself, I guess." he replied, a little uneasy at how that sounded.

She gave him a bright smile, "well I don't think so. What was it she said? Ceres said something about you and your friend Atem looking like some Roman or ancient gods or heroes."

Okay, now she had to be lying. No one, especially no girl, had ever compared him to some female desired fantasy object. He was just, Ryou. The forever friend but never "boyfriend", quiet guy with weird bipolar moments thanks to his old Yami. The shock must've registered on his face because Hotaru began to giggle at him. "Don't mind her though, she reads way too many romance novels and goes off on weird tangents."

He chuckled nervously, feeling slightly more self conscious. The food arrived and they made idle chitchat between bites. When they finished they started heading back to the tents. It had indeed begun raining now. After putting on her jacket, the violet eyed girl also pulled out an umbrella for them to share. Ryou held it so she wouldn't have to strain her arm trying to cover him.

The rain wasn't so bad. It was a nice drizzle with no chills or wind to blow it at them. A few people didn't even bother covering themselves as they made their way to their destinations. The two only vaguely paid attention to their surroundings as they continued their conversation about their high school life. They were nearing the street where the circus was held when a sudden pain shot through the right side of Ryous face.

Instantly he dropped the umbrella to clutch it. His eyes shut tight as it throbbed and felt like it was on fire. He didn't hear Hotaru ask if something was wrong and didn't notice that he was starting to get wet from the rain. Memories of the massacre of his village played across his mind with such great speed it almost made him sick. He haunched over and tried to suppress everything, but it was all too much for him and he couldn't fully concentrate. He was on the verge of passing out when he felt a sudden coolness rest over his hand and seep through his fingers to sooth the pain. A soft purple light could be seen through his closed lids and he opened his left eye to find Hotaru pulling a glowing hand away. She looked worried for him, but also a little frightened.

"Better?" she asked as he straightened up. The pain had subsided and there was a lingering coolness on his hand where she had placed her petite one. He nodded, trying to comprehend what had just happened. She looked at his face now with a quizzical look. "Was your scar always like that?"

His hand flew back up to rest at the skin below his right eye. What had once been a red, raw line now felt wider and more indented. No doubt it now resembled his old scar much more closely. "I..." he trailed off. A long silence surrounded them.

"... Um, I'm sorry if what I did was scary... I can explain it back at my home, if you want that is?" she was now looking incredibly nervous, which was weird since he was the one who usually felt that way around people who were discovering his secrets.

With a nod, he picked up the umbrella and the two walked in silence the rest of the way. Once inside the warm trailer, Hotaru put on the kettle and hung up her jacket. Ryou looked around the place. It was a bit larger on the inside than he was expecting. There was a small dinning area next to the kitchen, a bathroom with a small shower, and one bedroom with a king sized bed that the girls no doubt shared for the time being. There was also a small living space where a tv and a few game systems were set up. It was all tidy with plain furniture, a decent place for spending the summer traveling from city to city.

Ryou sat down at the table and watched as the girl grabbed cups for them. She had been avoiding his gaze this whole time. When the water was done boiling she mumbled if orange tea was alright. He nodded and she poured it for them. She sat down across from him, holding her cup with both hands in hopes he wouldn't notice them trembling. She was failing.

Sighing, he looked up at her, "if you're worried that what you did scared me in anyway then don't be. I was surprised yes, but I'm not scared. You helped me."

She snapped up, eyes looking wide and he could tell she had been trying not to cry. His own gaze softened. What he would think of her really had troubled the girl. "You're not?" he smiled and shook his head, she let out a breath, "thank you. I'm sorry for being so worried. It's just not everyone reacts that way when I show them I can heal... It was actually the main cause of my being bullied in middle school."

How could people be so afraid and hurtful at such a wonderful gift? He would never understand some kids and adults mentality about anything different from them being automatically bad. Anger bubbled in his stomach but he suppressed it. She didn't need for him to turn Bakura on her at the moment and stalk out of there claiming death to those who had wronged her. Though the thought was entertaining. Instead he smiled brightly at her and rested his hands over hers.

"You're not scary, Hotaru. Just like I'm not, remember?" she looked taken back and her cheeks went pink at his touch. Shyly she nodded.

It was then they heard her friends returning. The girls whole face went red and she stiffened. He guessed she hadn't realized they'd be back so early and catching the two of them alone together in the trailer would spark some endless jokes and gossip later. Grinning he gave her a wink and told her to stall them. She nodded, not sure what he was planing, but got up and went to the door.

"Hey guys, you're back early."she said, standing in the doorway to block their view.

"The rain ruined some of our plans. Vesta and Chibiusa are still out though. Are you going to let us in or make us stand out here in the rain to get colds?" Juno growled, all three nearly looked like drowned rats. Hotaru peeked behind her to see Ryou had vanished and allowed them inside. Even his cup had already been dumped and placed in the sink.

She smiled to herself as the girls began to gabber on. When she went to pick up her own tea she noticed a piece of paper beneath it. It was a note.

_"Had fun, here's my number if you want to hang out again. -Ryou" _

Turning away from her friends so they wouldn't see her blush, her smile broadened. She tucked the note into her jacket pocket to put the number later into her phone. Sipping her tea she listened to the girls night as they sat down in the living space to dry off and get warm.

Ryou had watched her when she found the note from atop the next trailer and couldn't help but grin. He could now honestly say he was thankful for the speed and stealth of his past life. Perhaps instead of using it to steal, he could use the skills for moments like this. That wouldn't be so bad... He just hoped the need to thieve remained a trait he didn't get back. That would land him into a lot of trouble.

Jumping to the next trailer he made his way out of the park by the roofs. Jumping clear of the fence that surrounded the facility he looked around to make sure no one had witnessed his stunt then shoved his hands into his jeans and strolled home. Needless to say he felt immensely better. For once in all of his lives he was glad he had been caught in the act. If he hadn't, he wouldn't have had such a fun night. Hotarus presence was an odd thing. Much like her ability to heal, it calmed and soothed him just as he felt his world beginning to implode with all the madness. Though it rarely had the effect of just allowing him to be Ryou, he was finding he was becoming more except-able to his Bakura side. Perhaps there could be a happy medium if he actually took the time to figure it out.

Upon arriving home he got a text message from the violet eyed girl. She said that tomorrow was the last show which meant security was gonna be tighter to make sure people weren't sneaking in. So, he might not want to try being a ninja again. He snorted at that last part, and slightly felt this was a challenge to his skills. However, he didn't think she'd appreciate him discarding her warning and decided it was best not to go. She also went on to invite him to her house the following Monday after the first day of school. He replied that he'd be delighted to and she sent him her address.

Smiling to himself he put his phone on its charger and got ready for bed. Tomorrow was the last day of summer and he wondered what he would do with it.

**88888**

The next day found Ryou in yet another strange predicament. He hadn't thought his last day of break would end up like this. Around noon there had been a phone call. It was Yugi and he wanted to talk in person. It was odd for his friend to sound so grave, but he agreed that they could meet at the white haired boys house in a few hours. When he finally heard a knock on his door he was a little taken aback when he found Yugi wasn't alone. He was followed by Atem, Marik, and oddly enough, Seto.

Now the group of boys were sitting around his living room as he got them refreshments. What ever was going on was obviously causing the atmosphere to become very tense. Setting down the drinks, Ryou took a seat on the floor in front of his coffee table. Perhaps some new evil mastermind was planning world domination again? Or maybe Seto was having trouble with his company like the time his old associates had tried to take it over? His mind raced with all possibilities as to why these particular guys were here.

"Ryou... Have you been feeling okay?" Yugi suddenly asked.

The boy blinked, not really sure why the shorter teen had decided to start this way, "um, yes. Why do you ask?"

Yugi looked a little uneasy and Atem took it up from there, "we're starting to get concerned."

"Hmph, speak for yourself, Atem. I don't see why you had to drag me here." Seto snapped, glaring at the ceiling.

Ryou could tell this was about to stem yet another argument between the two thickheads and decided to try and get them back on target. However, their beating around the bush and the fact that he felt like he was in the middle of some drug using intervention had already shorted his own fuse. Crossing his arms he growled out, "How about you all cut the crap and tell me why the hell you're here?"

Everyone fell silent and stared at him like he had grown two heads. He knew it was unlike him to snap like that... or curse, but it was too late to do anything about it now. And he certainly didn't feel like apologizing.

"You're turning into Thief King Bakura aren't you?" Marik finally said. Ryou turned his mostly brown eyes to him. "It's obvious to anyone that you're starting to look like him. We were worried you'd start to act like him too."

"I don't see how this is anyones business. I haven't stolen anything or made any attempts on Atems life. I understand it wasn't he who slaughtered my village and-"

"It wasn't your village. It was Bakuras. You're even starting to think like him. "Atem pointed out.

Ryous eyes narrowed at such a bold claim. Yugi quickly jumped between the two. "We didn't come here to fight! We came to help. Ryou, Seto has been going through the same thing you have."

Now that Yugi mentioned it, he remembered that Seto was also a reincarnation of a past key figure. He had been one of the priests who wielded the Millennium Items. He looked over at the taller boy now. He didn't seem to be going through any physical changes, but if memory served him correct, other than skin tone the two were almost completely identical. The tan the CEO sported looked like any tan someone would get with a summer spent in the sun. However compared to Bakura and Atem, priest Seto hadn't spent much time outside. His personality didn't seem to be changing either... But then again he had always been an egotistical asshole no matter which life you looked at.

"I'm not going through anything. I still refuse to believe I was ever apart of this little fantasy world you all believe you come from." Seto argued. It was still like pulling teeth to get him to admit that all the things that had happened to them had been real. He had come to terms with the fact that some sort of strange magic existed otherwise how could you explain Atem? But if you so much as hinted he had ever been involved directly with the magic he'd insist, in his dominant Kaiba way, that you had mistaken him for someone else.

Marik just rolled his eyes and fixed his attention back on Ryou. "forget the rest of them, I just want to know if these changes are hurting you in anyway?"

Ryou thought about that. Had it been early yesterday or last week, he would have blurted out yes and begged them to find a way to get rid of what was happening. But then he thought of all he had accomplished in this past week. His courage had increased, and so had his athletics. While the physical changes had hurt, each day he felt stronger and more healthy. When before he would've balked at the thought of talking to a girl he liked, he had, for awhile, practically stalked one and even agreed to hang out with her alone without a hitch.

That brought him to the image of Hotaru. She was small and frail looking. At one point her health had been really bad which had left her defenseless. Not to mention people were afraid of her and had hurt her due to her gift of healing. In fact he was sure they still did. Her high school had its own middle school attached to it. The same kids who bullied her before were no doubt still there. Her friends would probably protect her as they were by no means pushovers, but he found he wanted to look out for her too. The old him couldn't do that. The old him wouldn't have even gotten to know her. He would've been too shy and scared. And if by some chance they had become friends, he was as much a victim as she was.

Everyone had remained quiet as he thought. When he finally answered they all tensed in surprise. "I would be lying if I said that I wasn't afraid by these changes. My body will hurt every once in awhile but I've been dealing with it. I'm sorry I worried you guys, but I am fine. I've found something that helps and is keeping me in check. So don't worry about me."

When he smiled it was like the old Ryou was back. It was innocent, and a little naive, but genuine. His voice had almost sounded like the once shy boy they used to know and not the deep, dark under toned voice he had developed a few months back. Yugi smiled too, glad to see that his friend was doing ok.

"That's good."

"And what, pray tell, is keeping you in line?" Seto suddenly sneered.

Ryou couldn't help it. A smirk appeared on the ex-thief's face as his eyes looked tauntingly at the guy. "Wouldn't you like to know, ..._Priest_?" he spat out the last word, causing Seto to turn red with anger. While the glimmer of the old Ryou had been there, just like that it had died. Yugi let out a sigh. It was gonna be hard work keeping the peace between so many thickheads.

After they managed to calm the taller guy down they made sure Ryou was indeed doing ok. Yugi then invited him and the others to go meet with the rest of their gang at the park. Seto and Marik declined. Marik had other plans already and Seto claimed he wouldn't be caught dead with their group if it wasn't about business or duel monsters. Not really bothering to push the offer on him they all headed out to spend the rest of the day in more carefree atmospheres.

**88888**

School had gone by very slowly the next day. Though it was full of the usual welcome backs from the teachers and handouts of what to expect this year, it seemed to drag on. Mainly that was because everyone was still in summer mode and wanted to get out and be free teenagers again. When the last bell sounded, signifying the end of their captivity, there was an explosion of bodies heading to the lockers and out the doors as fast as possible.

Ryou took his time. He didn't feel like being shoved around by the masses once he exited his classroom. His friends stayed behind as well. It was scary how some people got. Give a teenager a taste of freedom and good luck reeling them back in. When deemed safe they ventured out and grabbed whatever they needed from their lockers. They said their goodbyes and parted outside of the gates. Ryou headed to the bus stop. He had thought about going home to change out of his school uniform, but decided against the extra trip. The uniform wasn't bothersome and he didn't want to be late meeting up with Hotaru.

Thankfully her district was the next one over so it only took about twenty minutes by bus. Walking down a residential street he noticed the houses were pretty fancy looking. When he got to the address that matched the one she had sent he looked up. It was a little large to be housing only four people. Then again, with the fact that the girls guardians were kind of famous, it wasn't surprising that they'd have the money to afford a place like this. There was a yellow convertible parked in the drive way so he guessed at least one of her guardians was home.

Music could be heard coming from a large window on the second story. It wasn't a song, more like a scale of notes. Deciding not to bother with the front door, Ryou jumped into the tree and climbed up to a branch that was close enough to the roof. He leapt onto that and with care made his way to the window. He was glad to see it was Hotaru and not one of the others. She was tuning a violin and kept checking if it sounded right. When she was satisfied she played a short song that sounded like a child's nursery rhyme. She was still wearing her school uniform too. A maroon short sleeved blazer with a black sailor color and blue striped bow. A plaid green skirt, black stockings, and shoes completed it. It looked infinitely better than the girls uniform at his school. Anzu may look alright, but not a lot of the girls could pull off that shade of pink.

When she had finished he tapped on the window. She was startled, but soon found it was him. She gave him a disapproving look, however she couldn't hide her grin. Walking over she unlocked the window and allowed him in. He sat down on the sill and smiled innocently at her.

"You really are a ninja aren't you, Ryou?" she joked. "Normal people just knock on the front door."

"You didn't allow me to be a ninja yesterday, so I have to make up for that now. And I didn't want to bother your guardians." he explained.

She just rolled her eyes playfully and went to set her violin down on it's stand. It wasn't the same one she used at the circus. This one was older and a lot less dolled up. It must be the one she practices on. The room wasn't her bedroom either. It looked like a music room and dance studio. The floor was all wood and the back wall was covered from top to bottom with mirrors. A grand piano rested in the corner to his right and a large case held a few other instruments in it.

"So how was your first day back at school?" he asked.

"Not so bad. Vesta already landed herself a detention."

He was shocked, "she's off to a great start. What did she do?"

"She got in a fight when a guy made fun of her hair. The others had remembered not to style it up like they do for the circus, but she likes wearing it that way so she didn't change it." she said, coming to sit next to him. "she doesn't serve out her sentence until Wednesday though. None of the teachers wanted to stay after to watch her and the guy she fought. How was your day?"

He shrugged, "pretty uneventful. Are her sisters mad?"

She laughed at that, "no, though Juno was a little peeved she wasn't there to help Vesta beat the tar out of him. She did make one guy back off at lunch when he was trying to mess with Pallas and I."

"Why was he messing with you two?" Ryou asked, masking his slight anger.

"He was one of my old bullies. I don't remember what he said, but it wasn't nice so Juno stood up and knocked his food tray into his chest. Since she played it as an accident she got off the hook."

It was obvious she did remember what he had said, but didn't want him to worry about it. He said no more on the topic, but he wasn't going to let it go. Later he would have to plan on how to make these guys back off. For now they just talked about their schedules and the party the circus had thrown on their last night together. The girls hadn't stayed long since they were underaged and had school the following morning, but apparently some of the clowns had gotten drunk rather quickly and nearly tore one of the smaller tents down.

Since they didn't have homework they went down to the living room to watch one of her guardians concerts on DVD. He met Michiru, as she was the only other one home. She was really nice and offered to make them some tea and snacks. Once it started getting dark Ryou decided he better head home. Michiru offered to give him a ride, but he declined.

"Are you busy tomorrow after school?" he asked Hotaru at the door.

She shook her head, "no, they usually don't hand out any take home work until the fourth day. Why?"

"Just thought it'd be nice to go somewhere, like a park, after classes."

"There's a really nice one not too far from my school, unless you'd rather go to one in your neighborhood?"

"No, yours is fine. I'll meet you at your school then." she agreed and they both said goodbye.

**88888**

The next day found Ryou making his way to Mugen school. Their classes didn't get out for another five minutes so the teen boy climbed a tree at the closed gates. He looked around the campus. It was huge. Much bigger and newer looking than his school. In fact, it looked more like a college. He had planned on going in to look for her and possibly find the guy who had picked on her and Pallas the other day. However, looking at the large complex now, he didn't think he'd ever even find her in such a maze. His best bet was to stay out here and wait.

The bell rang then, and not too long after, the students started filing out. He spotted the girls as soon as they walked through the doors. Their colorful hair was hard to miss though they weren't all up in their usual styles. Ceres still had the bun on the top but the rest of her hair had been set free from the long twists and was wavy. Pallas still had her bun as well, but had removed the circular headdress she usually had. Vesta, it seemed, still didn't care that her hairstyle looked odd for normal day wear, but she had removed the golden ornaments that usually decorated it. Lastly, Juno's hair was all combed back into a high ponytail. Hotaru just had her straight, short, black hair like yesterday and she was carrying not only her school bag, but her violin in its case as well.

The group made it to the gate directly beneath him and stepped to the side to let other students pass. Hotaru was leaning against the gates stone entrance while the other four crowded around her.

"You sure you don't want us to stick around? I can tell Marik I'll be a little late meeting him." he heard Juno suggest.

Ceres looked over at her sister slyly, "Ara, are you sure you want to be late on your date Jun-Jun?"

"Don't call me that! And for the last time it's not a date!" the green haired girl nearly shouted.

Hotaru just smiled at her friends, "it's ok. Ryou should be here soon, and almost everyone has gone home."

Vesta didn't seem so sure, "I don't know. That one guy and his friends are pretty tricky, I can't believe they did that to you in class."

"Pallas was there! They were so mean." chimed the the shortest one.

"It didn't hurt really. And we already alerted the teachers to them." Ryou clenched his fist. That asshole from the other day hadn't given up harassing her and had now attempted to physically hurt the girl.

"Like that's gonna stop those jerks. But if Ryou gets here I'd feel sorry for them. That guy looks like he knows how to scrap." Juno said with a huge grin as she rested her hands behind her head.

"Ara, those goons will think twice before messing with his little girlfriend then. Hotaru certainly knows how to pick the knight in shining armor types." added Ceres.

Both Ryou and Hotaru went red and the girl quickly tried to clear things up. The group only laughed at her efforts and wished her luck before leaving. The still flustered girl let out a sigh as she scuffed her shoe on the ground. To save either of them from further embarrassment, Ryou decided he would just sneak down from his hiding place and act like he had just arrived. However, movement caught his eye and he turned to see a small group of guys whispering to each other not too far off and smirking as they eyed Hotaru. The girl failed to notice them as she looked up the street for the white haired teen.

There was no doubt in his mind, that one of these punks was the one who was bothering her. They looked like they lived to torment others and he was amazed the school allowed them in. When the group began to head towards her, Ryou knew he had to act. With the reflexes of a cat he jumped out of the tree and twisted his body so that when he landed a few inches in front of Hotaru he was facing her. Instantly he slammed his left hand to the wall beside her head, blocking her face from their view. The boy then cocked his head towards them and held the most intense, malicious glare in his brown eyes as he made sure to look at each one. Daring them the take another step. The result of his stunt and brutish appearance was instant panic and fear from the group as they visibly shuddered and gulped under his gaze.

Flashing them a wicked grin he then turned a sweet smile to the very stunned and confused Hotaru. "Ry-Ryou, you scared me!"

"I'm sorry. I had fallen asleep waiting for you in the tree." he replied and removed his hand from the wall to take her bag. Shifting that to his right he then took hold of her hand and turned her away from her tormentors. He looked back over his shoulder to see the boys were still there, apparently frozen with fear.

"What are you looking at?" the girl questioned also looking over and raising a confused eyebrow at the group.

Throwing one last evil smile to the bullies and with all of the venom he could muster, answered with a simple, "_nothing_."

Leading the girl out of the school grounds they began to walk to the park. He hadn't noticed he still held her hand in his, but she did. Her whole face was heating up as she fought her blush in vain. She clutched her violin case tightly to her in her other hand as they reached their destination. When the two got to a vacant spot under a tree, the boy released her and sat down to lean his back against the trunk. In truth, his heart was racing.

Though he was sure those idiots would leave her alone now, the fact that he had done something that wild and threatening had actually scared him. He didn't even realize what he was doing until it was already too late. It was like instinct had taken over, and the need to protect his friend had blocked all rational thought from entering his brain. Looking up at Hotaru, he misinterpreted her flabbergasted expression as one of fear.

"Are you alright?"

She looked down at his obviously worried face, "yes, I'm fine."

"...Those guys were the ones who picked on you weren't they?" he asked. It then clicked with Hotaru that when they were at the school, and she had turned to see what he was smirking at, that it had been the boy who had teased her and his friends. Ryou must've thought seeing them there had bothered her.

She smiled reassuringly at him. "They are, but don't worry. The teachers will make sure they don't trouble me anymore."

If they did stop their little games, he doubted it would be because of the teachers. He inwardly smirked, but wore a relieved smile for her. She asked if he minded that she played a song on her violin. He told her to go ahead and leaned his head back as she got it out and positioned it. It was a new song. Playful like the one she used to halt the clowns with. She stood still though as she moved the bow across the strings and Ryou closed his eyes. A content smile on his face.

Once again, he was taken back in time. He remembered visiting the towns and cities. The market places were always lively and jumping around much like Hotarus song. The smells of exotic foods and the shine of foreign treasures were recalled to him. He felt the heat of the sun and the roughness of the packed down ground under his feet. Not every day was filled with the need for revenge. On the days like those, when there were so many smiling faces and kind words from locals, he remembered thinking about just letting everything go. Forgetting his life's goal and settling down somewhere as upbeat as the market. Life would never be dull.

The music stopped, and he was pulled back into reality. Opening his eyes he found the girl was staring at him funny. "What?" he questioned.

"Nothing." she teased and he gave her skeptical look. She only laughed. "you just looked so peaceful when you were listening."

He shrugged, "it brought back some happy memories for me. It was a nice song."

"It's one of Michiru-mamas newest ones. I've just finished memorizing it... I have another song if you don't mind hearing it. It's one I've been working on myself so it's a little raw still, but... it's very important to me."

"Sure, I'd love to hear it." he replied and she smiled slightly.

Positioning her instrument back on her shoulder, she began to play. It was slow, and bittersweet sounding. Suddenly Ryou was taken to a place he didn't want to go. It was that night. That fateful night all those years ago. When he had come out of his hiding place after the caped men had left. Blood stained nearly everything. Countless, mutilated bodies littered the streets and houses. Only he had been sparred. Though from the shadows that had concealed him he had seen everything. The anger. The searing fury that coursed through his veins demanded revenge for the stolen lives of his people. He would make the pharaoh pay, he would make all of them suffer!

However, under all of that rage and hatred there was one more emotion he felt. Sadness. While his hand balled in tight fists until his fingernails dug into his flesh, and his jaw was clenched so tightly it hurt, tears leaked from his lavender eyes back then. Everyone he knew and loved was gone. He was left all alone in such a cruel world. If not for the wrath brewing within him, the sorrow would have overpowered his small body. The feelings were too much. It was all coming back too fast.

In a flash, Ryou was on his feet and had grabbed the bow and violin in one hand to stop the heartache from continuing. Hotaru, stunned at the suddenness and force, was about to scold him for mistreating her instrument but stopped when she saw the look in his eyes. He looked like he was trying with everything he had not to cry.

He released it and turned away from her. "I'm sorry. I need to get going." he mumbled and began to walk away.

Hotaru watched him go for a moment before finding the courage to speak. "Ryou!" she called and he stopped though he did not face her. "I know my song isn't a pleasant one... And I'm sorry if it brought up anything you wanted to forget but... I think you'll like it if you listened all the way through. Whenever you're ready, and it doesn't have to be now, I'll play it again for you. I think you'll understand it then."

This time he did turn around and looked up from the bottom of the small hill they had been standing on at her determined violet eyes. He had closed off his emotions at this point to prevent any sort of break down. But seeing her standing there as the sun just started to set, casting a few shades of pink and orange in the sky, he couldn't help but give her a sad smile. Then, he did something he had barely dared to daydream.

His feet carried him back up the hill, and before she could say anything his hands flew up to hold the sides of her face as he lowered his lips onto hers. Her violet orbs widened as he closed his own eyes. He didn't push her to kiss him back, nor did he deepen it. He pulled away after another moment, still with the sad smile on his face as he continued to hold her astonished one.

"I'd love to hear it when I'm ready." he said softly. He was about to pull his hands back when she dropped her instrument and held them in place. Standing on her toes she placed her own kiss upon him. Her boldness had thrown him off at first but he soon found himself kissing her back.

This time when they parted, she was smiling too, "I'll keep practicing until then." was her reply. Ryou moved his arms to hold her small form against his as he rested his chin on top of her head. The pair stayed like that for some time. When they finally let go all they could do was smile at each other before parting ways.

Ryou knew it would take some time to get over his fear of the emotions he had been trying to avoid up until this point. But with Hotaru there he didn't feel so alone in it. Though left unsaid, the two knew they wouldn't see each other again until he sorted his feelings out. The boy had no intentions on making the girl wait long though. He would brave through this unlike his other changes. Not just for her sake, but for his own. He needed to finish this little metamorphous so he could finally move on and live a life he would be proud of. No more vengeance. No more regrets. And no more being alone in such a world as this.

* * *

**Spirit**- well, that's it for them for awhile. What did you guys think? I honestly love this chapter and have gone back over it so many times because I want it to be perfect. I still think there's some rough spots, but nobodies perfect. :P There's not really going to be any declarations of "love" in these as the romances are taking place in such short periods of time and I personally believe that love is something that must be raised and nurtured for awhile. So the characters will develop strong feelings towards each other, but like I said, it's too soon for full on love.

Hope you all stick around for the rest of them, since as you can see I sort of left these two slightly hanging so there definitely will be more of them later on. Please review!

Chow!


	3. Lights on, Opening Act: Bubble Games

**Spirit- **Here is the next two-shot for you lovely readers! As stated before it is Yugi and Pallas's turn. I gotta tell yah, this one may be too cute for some of you. It took me forever to write because I'm usually more in a violent mood or a dramatic one. So I'm not sure how well this came out. I'm happy with it, so I hope you all are too.

**Pairings and Order of Chapters:**

Ryou/Hotaru

Yugi/Pallas

Ryuji/Vesta

Atem/Chibiusa

Marik/Juno

Seto/Ceres

**Songs That inspired this chapter:** Hunny from OHSHC's "Doki Doki, Waka Waka" and Kerli's "Tea Party"

* * *

**Lights on, Opening Act; Bubble Games**

It was a nice summer's day. Not too hot like a few days back, but the first taste of autumn was still a ways away. Yugi Muto sat at the park on a bench by himself as he stared up at the clouds. He remembered as a kid trying to make shapes out of them. That got a little harder to do as one grew up. Imagination wasn't pouring out of every pore and the last thing teenagers wanted to do was anything remotely childish. He wondered who decided it had to be that way, but only shrugged at his own question.

Unlike most days he wasn't enjoying the company of his friends or "brother", Atem. Some had stayed home to be with family, while others just had plans of their own. He knew Jou was out on a date with Mai and he wasn't quite sure where his other half had run off to. It was weird how independent Atem had become in the past month. He had always been the strong one out of their group, but he had always needed them. Especially his smaller counterpart. Now however, the two seemed to be drifting apart. Yugi really wasn't sure when it had started, but he also wasn't equally sure it bothered him all that much. Though they had been inseparable, quite literally, for most of the time they had known each other, it was almost a relief to be his own person again. One person, not two.

Getting up, the young duel master decided to walk around some. Many families surrounded the playground areas of the vast park. Picnics were set up under trees and children ran around to climb all over whatever they could. There wasn't enough of a breeze for kite flying, so the people made due with boat races on the small pond. Yugi smiled at all the inhabitants enjoying themselves. Perhaps he could go hang out with his grandpa at the shop. It was bound to be a little busy with kids spending their allowance or summer job money there. He probably needed the help.

Turning around to head home he nearly collided with someone. Both stopped and gasped at the suddenness of actions and took a step back. Yugi glanced at who he had nearly hit and at first thought it was a woman. They had long blue hair in a loose ponytail with eyes the same shade. The thigh length white top they wore was femininely cut, but revealed a flat, slightly muscular chest underneath. Black leggings and flats completed their look.

"Woah! That was close!" even their voice was feminine sounding.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have turned around so quickly." Yugi apologized and bowed.

"Fishy!" came a cry. The two looked over the taller ones shoulder at a girl running towards them down a hill. She had blue hair and eyes too. The thought that the two might be related crossed Yugis mind as she reached him. "Ne, Fishy, Pallas changed her mind. Pallas wants chocolate instead."

She spoke in the same manner a child would, and didn't seem to notice the young duelist's presence. 'Fishy' smiled and told her ok. It was then she looked over at him. Her eyes widened as she casually pointed at him. "Oh, it's Spiky!"

Yugi was confused at this. He didn't remember meeting this girl before, though she did look a little familiar. Perhaps she went to his school? "Um, sorry?"

Fishy laughed, "Pallas I don't think that's his name."

"Oh! Right. Sorry, Pallas saw you and your twin at last night's show. Your hair really stood out." she explained. It then came back to him. She was the ball dancer at the circus he and his friends had gone to yesterday. Instead of the blue unitard with yellow frill, she was wearing a sleeveless, blue, mock turtleneck dress. Her hair was still up in a bun, but lacked the bubble like headpiece.

"You're one of the performers at the circus. It's nice to meet you. I'm Muto Yugi." he introduced.

"Pallas, and this is Fishy."

"It's Fisheye. Fishy is just a nickname my young protégée came up with." Fisheye explained, resting a hand on Pallas's head.

Yugi blinked, "is that your real name?"

"Nope, it's a stage name, but Fishy won't tell anybody his real one." Pallas said, never losing her infectious smile. Yugi had been right in guessing the persons real gender. "Ne, would Yugi like to join us? We're getting ice-cream!"

"Actually, I was just heading back to my grandpas shop to see if he needed help." he replied, scratching the back of his head. He honestly would've liked to have joined them, but knew he really should check in on his grandfather.

"Aw, that's too bad." she pouted, "what kind of shop is it?"

"A game shop. Mostly tabletop and rpg items." he felt a little geeky telling the girl this. He knew very few girls who were into such things, especially in his neighborhood. Not to say that most girls weren't nerds or geeks, he had just never met any other than Mai and, on occasion, Anzu.

However Pallas's eyes lit up and she practically jumped into his face. "Really! Do you have cards for Duel Monsters there? Ne, Fishy, can we go? Can we, can we?"

"Dork alert." the guy breathed out, causing the blue haired girl to elbow him in the side. "Ow, you know you don't need me to take you everywhere. You are old enough to go off on your own."

"But Pallas gets lost easily." she whined, earning her an exasperated sigh from her companion.

Yugi cleared his throat to gain their attention, "well, if you want I can show you where it is. It's not too far and there's an ice-cream parlor down the street."

"Yay!" Pallas cried, jumping into the air. "Ice-cream and games!"

The purple eyed boy smiled and the trio made their way out of the park. On the way to the shop, Pallas and Fisheye told him they had the day off from practicing their routines, but had to be back in time for that nights show. Pallas had wanted to go to the park, but her sisters, who he learned were some of the other performers, hadn't wanted to go. Fisheye was avoiding his friends after they fought that morning, so didn't mind escorting the small girl around. Apparently he and his friends fought almost every morning though.

Yugi talked about his own friends. Pallas remembered some of them as he and Atem weren't hard to spot in a crowd thanks to their hair. He told them that Atem had somehow gotten the tickets and had taken Yugi and their friends to see their place of work. Fisheye also performed tricks on top of the blown up spheres, though had changed up recently to being a juggler at one of the side shows on the way into the grounds. His friend Hawkeye was the fire breather, and Tigerseye was a knife thrower as well as one of the animal handlers.

As they neared the shop, the older member of their party told them he'd meet Pallas when she was done at the ice-cream parlor. They agreed and the two teens went into to the Kame Game shop. It wasn't as busy as Yugi had expected, but it was still a little hard to maneuver around the isles and kids. His grandpa was at the register, getting the total for one guys purchase. When he was free the two approached him.

"Hey grandpa, do you need help today?" Yugi asked.

The old man smiled at him, "no, it's not too bad, and your mother was kind enough to bring me some lunch. Who is this?"

"Oh, this is Pallas, she-" before he could explain she was from the circus, the girl jumped forward and bowed politely to the old man.

"It's nice to meet you sir!" she chimed. Grandpa Muto nodded to her with a smile on his face. He waved them off as someone else came up to check out their items. Yugi showed his new friend where they kept the Duel Monsters cards.

They talked about the game as she searched through them. She had only started playing a few months ago and had a fairy based deck. Her sisters, unfortunately, didn't play so she only got to challenge kids at her school. However, most were stuck up and either didn't play because it was "childish" or because she was a girl. Yugi found this surprising. After all, Mai was quite famous as a duelist and was a tough opponent. Mariks sister, Izusu, was also a ruthless player when challenged.

The boy offered to duel her, but she didn't have her deck on her person. She asked if he wouldn't mind having a match tomorrow around lunch. She had practice for her routine, but if she got up earlier she could get it out of the way. He agreed, knowing his friends wouldn't want to do much until around 2 o'clock at the least since most of them didn't wake up until about that time. The girl asked him how good he was as they now wandered around the rest of the store. Not one for bragging he said he wasn't too bad. Why mention that currently he still held the title "King of Games", since no more tournaments had surfaced for Atem and him to compete against each other? It would just make her self-conscious like it did most people. Though looking at her, he wondered if this girl was ever self-conscious. Her personality practically bubbled over, and even when she talked about others teasing her for being a girl and playing Duel Monsters her smile never faltered.

"Pallas better go now. Fishy will get mad and leave if Pallas takes much longer." she said. Yugi nodded and walked her to the shops entrance. Once outside they exchanged phone numbers so they could contact each other tomorrow to meet up. "Bye Yugi! See you tomorrow!"

"See yah!" the boy called back and waved as she ran off down the street. He couldn't help but smile, her enthusiasm was almost contagious. Heading back into the shop he allowed his grandpa a break while he watched over things.

**88888**

This was a very strange sight indeed. After staying and helping his grandfather close up shop, Yugi returned home to a rather peculiar sight. Atem was pacing around the living room, muttering to himself. When the boy asked his mother what was going on she just gave a knowing smile, mentioned something about girl trouble, and gave him a wink as she went to finish cooking dinner. Yugi just sat at the table as he watched his other half. It was very odd to see the once great pharaoh's feathers so ruffled. Atem was not one to easily lose his cool, especially over a girl.

Come to think of it, when had Atem become interested in a girl? True, he's been disappearing throughout the past month for a few hours here and there, but who was the girl? Was it someone Yugi knew? What was with all the secrecy too? Normally Atem never hesitated to share anything with his ex-host. Perhaps he was embarrassed? Yugi could see that, especially if he was all lovey-dovey with this girl. The thought made him snort, which pulled the taller boy out of his musings.

"Yugi? When did you get home?" he asked, slightly startled by the boys presence.

That was also strange, since when did he scare his other half? "A few minutes ago. Are you alright? Mom said you were having girl trouble."

Atems tan cheeks took on a very faint pink hue. Now, Yugi was not one to pry or tease, but he had been hanging out with Jou and Honda nearly every day during their summer break, and the two were starting to rub off. The wicked grin he tried to hold back, inched its way across his face. Atem began to stutter as he tried to dismiss that a girl was causing him any sort of trouble.

"Not the girl? Then perhaps you're worried about where to go on a date? Or if she'd like flowers or chocolates best?" Yugi joked.

"Yugi, I'm just going to say, you are very lucky I no longer have power over the shadow realm." Atem threatened, which only made him laugh.

"So what's her name?" the boy went on. As long as the one time pharaoh didn't have those powers, there was no sense in being cautious.

The taller teen growled, but reluctantly answered, "Chibiusa."

"Chibiusa?"

"Her real name is Usagi, after her mother. Hence Chibiusa." he explained.

"So what is bothering you about Chibiusa?" Yugi asked.

This only seemed to bring Atem back into frustrations. Apparently there was nothing actually wrong with her; he just wasn't used to his feelings. Atem had never liked someone before, not in his past, nor the present. He wasn't accustomed to it, and he definitely wasn't sure how modern day courting went. He confessed they had gone on several dates, but nothing had really progressed from there. Mostly, he was too afraid of scaring the girl off, though he mumbled to himself that that seemed unlikely. Yugi wasn't sure what he meant by that, but told his other half to invite the girl and maybe some of her friends to hang out with them one day. It might get them both to relax a bit for one.

Atem contemplated this, but agreed it sounded like a good idea. He went to his room to call her and see when she would be available. Yugi went to his own room. It sure was weird seeing his "brother" act like a normal teenager for once. Though that was what he wished for when they recovered his, Ryous, and Setos memories. He wondered how those two were handling that. Seto was probably chalking everything up to bad dreams and nonsense. Ryou had been starting to look a little like his past life. He'd also become a lot more reclusive as of late. They all had to bribe him to come out and go to the circus with them, but it did seem to make him happy.

Speaking of the circus, he should probably go over his deck for his duel with Pallas tomorrow. She said her deck was fairy based. Did he have anything good against that? Deciding it wouldn't be fair since she didn't know his decks he would just go with his usual one. After a few minutes his mother called him to eat and he left his room to set the table.

**88888**

The next day Yugi headed over to the circus grounds. Pallas had called him around eleven saying she was done and if he could meet her there since she still didn't know her way around. It wasn't too far and he didn't mind as it was another nice day. There seemed to be a lot of activity though when he walked up to the entrance of the circus grounds. The gate was locked so he texted Pallas to let her know he was there. Soon the bubbly girl came running over to a smaller door in the red painted wooden fence that was off to the side. There was just one problem.

"Um, Pallas, you're still wearing your costume." Yugi pointed out.

"Ack! Pallas didn't notice that." she groaned, looking down at her strapless blue unitard with circular designs on it. She held a carton in her right hand, which the boy assumed was her deck. "Ne, Yugi, why don't we have our duel here?"

He blinked. Was he allowed in? "Uh, if that's okay, I don't see why not."

"Yay! You can meet Pallas's sisters! Oh wait, they're still practicing. Oh well! Come on in!" Yugi couldn't help but smile. The blue haired girl was just so hyper and friendly it was hard not to be happy around her.

She led the boy in and towards the back tents. Many of the performers and hired hands were running around cleaning and setting things up for the evening. They greeted the pair as they walked past. Yugi had never seen such a strange mix of people. Sure he had been there two nights ago, but the crowds made the performers look like a minority. Now he felt the odd one out. There was a bald man covered in tattoos that made him look like a snake that was picking up trash. One extremely tall but nimble looking woman was setting up the games for the kids. Others passed before him, but not once did they look at him oddly. He wasn't at all sure why he expected them to do so though.

They made it to the large tent and walked around it to the back. A bunch of trailers were set up there and so were a few picnic tables. A few people were their eating lunch and waved at them. Pallas waved back and said hello before picking an empty table to sit at. Yugi sat across from her and took out his deck from its place on his belt. The two shuffled the others deck before handing them back and drawing their first hand of cards.

The boy had to admit Pallas was good. Her fairy deck was quite tricky and resorted more on magic cards to enhance her monsters ability than brute strength or using trap after trap. They played a full duel, a winner only being declared when they won two out of three matches. Several times, a performer or two would come up and casually tease the "nerds". However it was only in jest and Pallas always threw a playful remark back at them. It was fun to play with her, because she became so easily excited. Even when Yugi took out a large chunk of her life points she fangirled at the combo he had used to do so.

Soon their three matches were over, with Yugi the winner. She had won the first match when he had underestimated her strategy. A mistake he didn't make again. And though she had lost the last two plays she still beamed and congratulated him.

"Wanna play again? Pallas thinks she understands your deck better now."

"Sure!" he answered and the two traded decks to shuffle them again. While he shuffled hers he asked, "so what made you get into Duel Monsters?"

"Pallas loves games! Pallas's sisters used to play all kinds of games with her when we were younger. So Pallas wanted to keep finding more games to play." she explained as she handed his deck back.

Yugi drew the top cards, "but your sisters didn't want to play this one?"

"No... They wanted to grow up." he noticed something then. Something he almost missed as he had only glanced up from looking at his hand by chance. Her smile had minimized for a moment and a solemn look fell across her eyes as she gazed at her own cards. It was gone when she met his gaze. Large smile and bright orbs once again displayed. "Yugi can go first this round!"

"Huh, oh, okay." he replied and began his turn.

"What made you wanna play Yugi?" she asked.

He shrugged, "I don't really remember. Probably because my grandpa had his game shop and I just eventually got into it."

"And now you're the great King of Games!" she shouted, thrusting her arm into the air and pointing towards the sky.

Yugi faltered, nearly falling off the bench, and stared at the girl wide eyed, "you knew?!"

She giggled, "of course Pallas knew. Pallas had seen you on tv during the last tournaments! It was so cool!"

"Oh, those." he guessed they looked cool to the viewers, but they didn't know what was going on behind the curtain at some of those duels. Not to mention he technically wasn't the true King of Games. Atem deserved that title. Even though he had beaten the once Pharaoh in their duel together, it was Atem who had won most of the duels in the tournaments. Without him they would've never made it past Duelist Kingdom. Heck, Atem had also been one of the reasons he and his friends were together. Compared to the pharaoh, Yugi was practically nothing. This made him frown and just gaze gravely at his cards. He would always be just second best.

Looking up to see why Pallas was taking so long to play he nearly fell off the bench again. She had her fingers hooked in the corners of her mouth to pull it wide and had her tongue hanging out as she crossed her eyes at him. She laughed at his stumble and righted her face again. After regaining his composure he asked her why she had done that.

"You looked sad for a moment. And that's no good if you plan on beating Pallas again!" she admonished.

This brought a smile to his face as she started her turn. They continued playing, Yugi once again being victorious. This time he won the first two matches, making him the winner without playing the third. Though he had won, the duels had gone on a lot longer and were trickier. The girl hadn't been kidding when she said she understood his deck more. In a matter of a few turns she practically had him backed into a corner several times. Only the luck of the draw managed to save him. And again, she was not the least bit unhinged by the losses.

She brought out some sandwiches for them to eat when they had finished and the two talked until Yugis friends called him to hang out. He offered for Pallas to join them, but she declined, saying she should practice the last routine with her sisters before that evenings show. They walked back over to the entrance, though for the girl it was more of a skip. When they got to the door she practically jumped at him to hug him goodbye. The action caused him to blush and he was unsure if he should hug her back as her outfit left some of her back bare.

The girl didn't seem to notice as she pulled away and held the door for him. "Bye Yugi! We should play again soon!"

"G-good bye Pallas! Break a leg at the show tonight!" he managed to say and earned a laugh.

"Pallas shall break both!" the girl declared. He snorted as he made his way down the sidewalk and gave a final wave to her. She waved back then disappeared behind the door.

**88888**

When Yugi returned home that evening from hanging out with his friends, he was surprised to see Atem was not there. His double had left the arcade they been at early, claiming he had something to take care of. Yugi didn't doubt that that something had to do with Chibiusa, but kept it to himself. Atem would tell his friends about her in his own time. However, it was now two hours later and dark outside. He wondered if he should shoot the guy a text to ask if he was alright. However, the thought of interrupting the ex-pharaohs lovey-dovey time didn't seem like a good idea. So he opted to wait a little longer before getting too worried.

Grabbing a soda from the fridge he went to his room and flopped onto his bed. Today had been a full one. First there was the duels he had with Pallas. They had been fun and classic. With how technologically advanced the tournaments had gotten, it was nice to play Duel Monsters the old fashioned, table-top way. Then he had to cut clear across downtown to meet with Jou, Anzu, Ryou, and Honda. It was interesting having the original gang together again. While Marik, Otogi, and Atem were fun, it was nice to kind of relive their early school days together. Seto only joined if he was bribed and he always made the experience a little less pleasant. The group had visited some old hang outs of theirs, including the mall, the museum where Atem joined them, Beef Bowl, and then the arcade.

Anzu had once again whipped their butts in the dance game and Atem and Yugi bested Jou and Honda on the combat based machines. When Atem left and Ryou followed suit not too long after, the others continued to play until they ran out of quarters. Seeing as how most shops were closing up, the group parted ways for the evening.

Suddenly his phone went off in his pocket, causing Yugi to jump and spill his soda a little. He set the can down and took the cellphone out, expecting it to be Atem. However the name read "Pallas."

"Hello?" he asked when he answered it.

"Oh My Gosh! Yugi guess what?!" she shouted on the other end, forcing him to hold the phone away from his ear.

"Um, what?"

"Your brother is dating Pallas's friend, Chibiusa! Vesta caught them together at the park earlier today, and he ran off. Pallas remembers him from the show with you and we forced Chibiusa to spill the beans. She said we can all hang out this Friday since we have it off from the circus!"

"Really? The circus is closed on a Friday?" that seemed strange, as it was such a big day for business.

Pallas giggled, "Nope, it's the eighteen and over night so we can't perform."

"Oh. Did they say where we'd all be going?"

"Um... No. But maybe we can think of something? Chibiusa can be really incompetent sometimes."

He laughed at that and tried to think of somewhere they'd all enjoy going to. The mall would be packed and he really didn't feel like shopping with a large group of girls. Anzu was bad enough. The shop was much too small, and only Pallas liked the games they sold. "how about the arcade? I know your sisters don't like card games, but do they like video games?"

"Are you kidding, they love them! Especially the racing games. We've been trying to find the arcade, but either forgot to look when we were out, or got lost. That's a perfect idea Yugi!" He felt his ears heat up but ignored it.

"Great, I'll tell Atem and see who we can get to go and work out a time to meet. Since it's the last Friday before school it shouldn't be too hard to convince them all."

"Ack, school! Pallas doesn't want to go back." she blew a raspberry and again Yugi chuckled. After agreeing to text her the time and directions to the arcade, the two said goodnight and hung up.

As Yugi was heading to the kitchen to get some paper towels for the soda he spilled, he heard the front door open. Atem came in looking worn out as he hung up his jacket and removed his shoes. He didn't even seem to notice his smaller counterpart as he trudged past the kitchen and dining room and went into the hall to make his way to his room. Yugi watched him, confused. Had the teen run into another snag with his girlfriend? He wasn't sure if the pair were official yet, but it was simpler calling the girl that.

Deciding to take his chances he went over and knocked on Atems door. When a muffled "come in" was heard he opened the door. What he found was the boy lying on his bed with his face in his pillow, looking the picture of defeat. When asked what was wrong, he only waved the boy off. Deciding not to pry more he told him about Pallas and his plans. Atem sat up to listen and agreed it sounded good. He would give Chibiusa a call in the morning. Now suspecting that it might not have been the girl who troubled his other half, the two carried on with more details about the plan. Yugi would handle inviting all of their friends. For some reason Atem suggested he also invite Seto Kaiba. Not wanting to argue, especially since the taller boy had a devilish glint in his eyes, he nodded. Then, bidding Atem goodnight, he retreated to his own room to get some sleep

* * *

**Spirit**- so, how was it? I decided to keep these two mostly drama free and just be adorable in this chapter. That will start to change in the next one, though there was a bit of foreshadowing in here if you were able to pick up on it. I hope it wasn't boring for you. Besides, it's really hard to have them be all serious, I'm mean... Look at them! Even though it lacked in drama, I hope you guys liked your daily dose of cute!

Please review! It's good motivation to get these out sooner!

Chow!


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